Alpha - what does it bring to mind? First, dominant, greek, spaghetti (alphabeti)? I should think that the reason the Alpha Course is so named is that it is deemed to be the first step to christian faith (I wonder for how many people it is also the Omega course?).
I struggle with it. From where I sit it pupports to give a whole load of answers to the wrong questions - or rather it pupports to giving answers to the right questions, I just think it is answering the wrong ones.
The Alpha course is an introduction to christianity.We should be introducing people to God.
The web site also contends that Alpha is for everyone. Well, everyone who is interested in being a christian. So that rules out an awful lot of people for whom christianity is at best an irrelevance, at worst something to be mistrusted and avoided. Interestingly they have Alpha for different contexts, prison, youth, student, forces and CATHOLICS. I was very interested in why the catholics should have their own alpha context but unfortunately that page can’t be found on their web site. If anyone can illuminate me then please do.
I think the apparent success of Alpha is because churches are desperate. They are dying on their collective arses and will, probably, try anything. As I have stated before in other articles, I firmly believe that there is no formula for turning round the decline in church attendance. There is no ‘one big thing’ that can be taken from church to church that will guarantee full houses in its wake.
This is what is so exciting about the ‘emerging church movement’ for me. Where it truly emerges to fulfill a need in a community of people it will work and it will change that community for the better. Sticking our usual worship practices in a cafe does not make a cafe church. Meeting people where they are on their life journey and making a connection with them, allowing them to encounter God without the need for them to learn how to is the way forward, there are no courses in it, no packaged solutions - just get out there and do it.
